The Father Daughter Dance
by Lenina Crowne
Summary: LL. Stars Hollow hosts its first annual father-daughter dance. "Now, I know your father is a grump, but, well, if he really loves you, he’ll go to the dance with you." Complete.
1. Persuasion

**The Father-Daughter Dance**  
_Persuasion_

**A/N: **_I attempted to fix up my post-finale piece, but this came out, instead. Personally, I blame the corporate advertising whores and their annual influx of sappy father-love commercials. I think this piece will be a 3-parter, but only time will tell. Also, to those that are following my major series: it will be continued very soon (possibly tomorrow). Being very close to finishing high school is great. Read, review, and hopefully enjoy, my friends. _

**Disclaimer: **_I guess I sort of own Amelia, but the other characters are not mine. (Btw, don't ask about the name… a really annoying customer at work yesterday was talking about her daughter, Amelia, and the name just kind of stuck.) Oh, and, I don't know about you, but I totally think Luke'll be a 'call me Daddy' sort of father. I mean, he'll probably gripe about it at first, but, deep down, he'll revel in the daddiness._

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* * *

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Lorelai tightened her grip on her daughter's hand as they crossed the street. The girl, unfazed by the change of direction, bounced excitedly at Lorelai's side, chattering endlessly. Suddenly, she ceased speaking and looked up at her mother eagerly.

"That's nice, hon," replied Lorelai absently. She had lost track of the story at least ten minutes ago.

"Oh, oh, and mommy, guess what, guess what!"

"What?"

"No, guess!"

Lorelai smiled at her daughter and shook her head. "Uh, let's see… Jake stuck a crayon up his nose?"

"Uh-huh!" replied Amelia with wide, incredulous eyes. "How'd you know?"

"What can I say? I'm just _that_ good." Lorelai refrained from mentioning that Jake stuck a crayon up his nose _every_ day and that, without fail, Amelia reported this bit of news _every_ day (sometimes more than once a day). It was nice to have her daughter look at her in awe. Lorelai knew better than to expect this admiration to never end. Sooner or later, it would be replaced by exasperation. She cringed, not wanting to think of that aspect. "Did he get in trouble?"

Amelia nodded enthusiastically. "He had to clean up _all_ the toys."

"Wow. Was Mrs. Lewis' yardstick in the shop?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Hey, so, I was thinking… why don't we go to the diner and grab some lunch, hmm?"

Amelia's eyes lit up and, if possible, she began to bounce even more. "Okay!"

Lorelai chuckled as they approached the town square. However, just as the two of them passed by Doose's Market, Lorelai noticed Taylor jog out of the store. He called her name once, twice, three times. She ignored him.

"Lorelai!"

Lorelai finally turned toward Amelia and asked, "Hey, hun, is that Taylor behind us?"

Her daughter turned her head to see Taylor speed-walking toward them. She waved enthusiastically at the man before turning back toward her mother. "Yep!"

"Thought so."

She kept walking.

"LOR-EL-AI! Will you just stop for one _second_? My Goodness," he added breathlessly, "this woman never slows down!"

Lorelai stopped walking abruptly and groaned, before turning around and meeting Taylor's eyes. "It's the coffee," she offered. She then feigned a gasp, bringing her hand to her mouth and exclaimed, "Oh, Taylor, I didn't know you were behind us!"

"Yes you did! I called your name _at least_ five times, Lorelai."

"Did you?"

"Yes! Your daughter even turned around and _waved_ at me!"

Lorelai looked down at her daughter admonishingly. "You _waved_ at him?"

Amelia merely shrugged innocently in response. Taylor cleared his throat impatiently.

"All right. What can I do for you, Taylor?"

"I have something here I thought you might be interested in." He handed her a bright yellow flyer and, as she began to read, continued, "It's to raise money for the Stars Hollow Beautification Committee."

Lorelai continued to skim the flyer. "Jeez, have you ever heard of editing?"

"But this is all vital information! It's Stars Hollow's _first_ annual Father-Daughter Dance! This is new; people might get confused!"

"But you talk about the dance for two sentences and the rest is promoting ten percent off all laundry detergent at your store."

Taylor rolled his eyes, ignoring Lorelai. Instead, he crouched down beside Amelia, handed her a flyer, and asked, "How would you like go to a dance with your father on Saturday night?"

"And then get ten percent off _Tide_!"

Taylor glared at Lorelai. "Why do I bother?"

"Beats me. Okay, so, there's a father-daughter dance, I get that part. But why are you telling me this? I think I've officially earned the title of 'mother' after pushing a head the size of a watermelon out of my –"

"I beg you not to finish that sentence." Lorelai smirked at him. "I just thought that the two lovely ladies of the Danes' household would have some, uhh, _sway_ in the situation."

"Well, we do sway quite often."

"A dance?" whispered Amelia with a small smile.

"Yes, and it's a _formal_ dance. That means you get to wear a pretty dress and mingle with important people," Taylor explained haughtily. "Now, I know your father is a grump, but, well, if he really loves you, he'll go to the dance with you."

"Taylor, don't say that to her!" Lorelai's voice softened as she turned toward her daughter. "Hon, Daddy loves you, whether or not he goes to this dance with you, okay?"

"Okay!"

Lorelai re-focused her attention on Taylor. "All right, it's so obvious you've never had kids. Thank God," she added under her breath.

"I'll just… let that comment pass for now. Anyway, I'm going to leave you with that flyer and hopefully, Luke won't let his daughter down." Taylor headed back to his store, but not without first throwing, "Don't forget about the ten percent off laundry detergent!" over his shoulder.

Lorelai shot one last angry glare at Taylor as he entered his store. _Wow,_ she thought, _Luke's Taylor-hatred is really rubbing off on me._ Lorelai turned her attention toward Amelia, who was staring at the yellow flyer in fascination. "So babe, do you want to go?" Amelia nodded, grinning. "Okay, here's the plan. You go in there –" Lorelai pointed to the diner – "and ask Daddy." Amelia nodded. "Oh! You may want to include some pouting into the mix, you know, for effect. Now, what do we say when Daddy asks about the pout?"

"Rory taught it to me, _not_ Mommy," replied Amelia mechanically.

"Beautiful. Now, go on inside. I'll be right here."

"Why?"

"Well…" Lorelai replied, while trying to catch a glimpse of Luke through the diner window, "I think this is something you should ask Daddy alone."

"Why?"

Lorelai sighed. "Because Daddy will blame Mommy for planting these tainted thoughts in your head. If Mommy's not there, that will give Daddy time to cool down before he gets extra grumpy and takes away the coffee for a month."

Amelia frowned. "What?"

"Nothing. Go on in." She kissed Amelia on the cheek. "I'll be right here."

Lorelai watched as her daughter ran inside the diner, and smiled to herself. The thought of Luke going to a dance thrilled her to no end. "Let the mocking begin!" she enthused to a random pedestrian who gave her an apprehensive look before moving on.

She could hardly contain her giddiness.

* * *

Amelia skipped up to the counter and climbed onto a stool next to Kirk. He stared at his sandwich as Amelia stood up on her stool. She hunched over the counter, planting her palms on the surface for balance, as she looked for her father. He was nowhere in sight. Amelia plopped back down onto the stool and then turned toward Kirk. He still hadn't noticed her presence and she frowned, tilting her head to the side as she studied the man. After a few moments, she poked him on the shoulder with her finger. 

"Oww!" he cried, rubbing his shoulder as he turned around. "Oh, hello Amelia. How are you?"

"Have you seen my Daddy?"

"I think he's in the kitchen."

She grinned at Kirk before bellowing, "DADDY!"

After a moment, Luke rushed out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on his flannel shirt as he did so. "Amelia, what have I told you about yelling?"

"Sorry Daddy," she said with a smirk that proved she was not very sorry at all.

"Okay, but next time…" Luke leaned across the counter and kissed her on the forehead. "How was your day?"

As she began to tell him the same stories she'd told Lorelai just minutes before, Luke poured her a cup of apple juice and refilled Kirk's coffee, only partially listening to her incoherent monologue. "…And then… guess what?"

"Jake stuck a crayon up his nose?" replied Luke absently as he put on another pot of decaf coffee.

"Wow! Mommy guessed that, too," Amelia informed him, awed.

Luke squeezed her hand. "I guess we've just spent too much time together. What else?"

"Oh yeah, and I got an award!"

"Wow, that's great!" She handed it to him. "Most verbose," he deadpanned.

"Mommy says she's gotten that award, too," she stated proudly.

Luke laughed heartily at that. "Well, you truly are your mother's daughter."

Kirk, who had been listening to the exchange with interest, finally cut in and said, "Congratulations, Amelia. You know, when I was in kindergarten, I won an award, too. It was for my sea-shell collection." Neither Luke nor Amelia said anything, so he continued, "But then my brother, Alan, threw them out. Actually, he threw them at my head." Kirk frowned. "One poked me in the eye. I had to spend the night in the emergency room."

"Kirk?"

"Yes, Luke?"

"Stop talking."

"Gotcha."

Kirk turned back to his food and Luke made the rounds, coffeepot in hand. However, he had the feeling he was being watched, and, when he returned to the counter, noticed Amelia staring at him. "What do you want?"

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"I have a question."

"I could tell."

"Daddy?"

He sighed. "What, Amelia?"

"Here." She handed him the bright yellow flyer that Taylor had given her. "It's a dance!" she informed him happily.

"Stars Hollow's First Annual Father-Daughter _Formal_ Dance," Luke read. "Jeez, it's endorsed by Doose's! Damn town, what isn't sponsored by that nut job? Ten percent off already overpriced laundry detergent," he growled, "some deal."

"Can we go?"

"No."

"Daddy!"

"We'll go to the next crazy, Taylor-invented event, I promise."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"That's not a reason!"

"I'm your father; I don't need a reason."

"But… I've never been to a dance before," she replied feebly, her voice cracking.

"Amelia…" He paused, gaping. Was she _pouting_ at him? "Where did you learn the pout?" he demanded.

"Uh…" she faulted. "Rory. Rory! Rory taught it to me."

Luke glanced out the window and caught a glimpse of those familiar brunette curls. "Uh-huh. I'll be right back." He turned toward Kirk. "Keep an eye on her."

"All right, but I should warn you that I charge five dollars an hour for my babysitting services!"

Luke ignored Kirk, jogging out of the diner, instead. The door shut behind him with a jingle and Luke looked up and down the sidewalk. He turned just in time to see a blurred outline of Lorelai's figure, heading up the street. Why did she only move quickly when he didn't want her to?

"Lorelai!" he called. She waved at him without turning around. Instead, he watched until she disappeared from view. "Damn," he muttered. How was he ever going to survive in a house with two beautiful, persuasive, _pouty_ girls, both of whom he loved more than anything else in the world? With a defeated sigh, he walked back into the diner. Amelia, who had been flicking pieces of napkin at Kirk as he scolded her fruitlessly, noticed her father and immediately began to pout again. Luke walked over to her, hands on his hips.

"You really wanna go to this dance?" She nodded, the pout on her features deepening as her lower lip protruded slightly. Luke sighed, covering his face with his hands for a moment. "All right, I'll think about it."

"Really? Yay!" she squealed, sliding off the stool unsteadily. Luke grabbed his daughter beneath the arms and lifted her, so that she was at eye-level with him. "Thank you, Daddy," she cooed, kissing him on the nose.

"Yeah, yeah. I only said I'd _think_ about it," he responded gruffly, even though they both knew he had unwittingly agreed. He placed her down on the ground gently and handed her the rag that had previously been sitting on the countertop. "Now, why don't you go wipe down some empty tables? Maybe it'll persuade me to say yes."

"Okay!"

Luke groaned and leaned against the counter as he watched Amelia skip around his diner, eagerly wiping down the tabletops.

"Wow," Kirk noted, "She's got you wrapped around her little finger."

"Shut up, Kirk."

Although it didn't happen much, Luke _really_ hated when Kirk was right.

_TBC..._


	2. Bribery

**The Father-Daughter Dance**  
_Bribery_

**A/N: **_Yeah, when I said this series would be three parts, I really meant at least four. This story is going places I didn't expect. I wasn't planning on posting tonight, but, well, I finished it. Also, I wanted to apologize for messing up so much on the last chapter. First and foremost, yeah, the word is 'percent,' not 'perfect.' Not sure how I let such a blatant mistake pass before my eyes… twice. Secondly, my apologies to those of you that received double chapter alerts, only to find that I'd merely posted one chapter. Instead of editing my chapter, I stupidly added the edited version as chapter 2. Honestly, it's a wonder I don't fall over more often. Thank you so much for the feedback; I truly hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. (Hang in there - the dance is coming up… eventually.)_

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That night, Lorelai tiptoed up the stairs, having just finished a TV movie that she had been watching in the living room. When she entered the dark bedroom, she paused for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust, before glancing at the bed. She could see Luke's outline, as his chest rose and fell in tune with his snores. Quietly, she approached the bed and gently sat down next to him, on the empty side of the bed, and turned on the lamp on the night table. Luke lay on his back with a partially opened mouth and arms sprawled out at his sides. With a devious smirk, Lorelai leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his stubbly cheek. When he didn't respond, she kissed him a few more times. He moaned softly, but didn't wake. Finally, she shifted so that her entire body was on the bed and then climbed over Luke, straddling him. She leaned her palms against his chest as she began to nuzzle at his neck. Unconsciously, he tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her closer to him.

"Wake up, _Luuuke_," she whispered in a sultry tone against his ear. Encouraged by the goose bumps that broke out along his neck at the feel of her warm breath against his skin, she repeated his name, louder this time. He groaned and muttered a sleepy, "wha?"

"C'mon, get up. We need to talk." He shifted beneath her and, even though he didn't open his eyes, she knew he was awake. "So, that father-daughter dance..."

"Oh God," he groaned, "you woke me up to talk about _the dance_?"

"Hey, it's important!"

"I'd been up since 4:30 AM and I had _just_ fallen asleep, Lorelai. _Nothing_ is that important."

"What if I was dying, huh, Luke? Would _that_ be important enough to wake you up?"

"But you're not dying."

"I know, but… if I had been…"

"But you're not."

"I know!" she replied, exasperated. "I would just like to know whether or not I would be allowed to wake you up in the middle of the night if I was dying!"

He opened his eyes and sat up, giving Lorelai an annoyed look. "If you, Amelia, Rory, or anyone else related to us was sick or dying, I give you permission to wake me up."

"So –"

"But that does _not_ give you permission to wake me up about a stupid dance!"

She pouted. "But you're already awake. And it's not stupid."

"Taylor's organizing it?"

"Yes, but –"

"Then it's stupid."

"…Amelia wants to go."

"Yeah, well, Amelia also wants to be a cowgirl. Life isn't fair sometimes; she might as well learn that now."

"And you want to be the one to demonstrate that particular aspect of life for her?"

"Better me than some stupid teenage punk."

"Don't even go there," she muttered. "Come on! You love spending time with her, right?"

"Of course I do. But I love taking her to the park or the zoo, not… a dance," he spat.

"Luke!"

"We'll talk about this tomorrow."

"Say you'll go with her."

"Tomorrow," he repeated sternly.

"Say you'll go with her and I'll let you go back to sleep," she challenged. He merely pulled a pillow out from under his head and covered his face. "C'mon Luke, this means a lot to her."

"And sleep means a lot to me," came his muffled reply.

Lorelai sighed and yanked the pillow from his hands. "I'll tell you what, big boy," she whispered seductively, running her fingers along his tee shirt clad chest. "If you agree to go to this dance with our daughter, I'll convince Sookie to keep her for the entire day afterward."

Luke raised his eyebrows and placed his hands on her waist. "Oh yeah?"

"Yep. All of Sunday, just me and you and this very _empty_ house." She nibbled at his ear. "How does that sound?"

"I'm not wearing a tux," he mumbled into her neck.

"Oh, you will." Lorelai brought his lips up to hers for a breathless kiss. After a minute, she pulled back, smiling teasingly at him. "No previews. You'll just have to wait for the real thing."

"Lorelai…"

"I thought you were tired."

"Not anymore," he muttered, leaning in for another kiss. She moved out of his reach.

"Well, I'm beat." She reached for the lamp on her night table and turned out the light. "'Night, babe. I love you. Have I mentioned that you're the best?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, watching the reflected moonlight bounce off the ceiling as he attempted to fall back asleep. Instead, he lay awake for another hour and was dismayed to find that he was almost looking forward to Saturday night.

* * *

Amelia stood on a chair in the kitchen, her baby blue dress flowing down to the tops of her matching shoes. She looked down at her feet and wiggled them a little, admiring the bows. Lorelai groaned and stood up so that she and Amelia were eye-to-eye. 

"Stop moving or my finger is gonna come with you to this dance."

She pouted. "But I'm bored!"

"I'll be done in _two minutes_, if you stand still, I promise. Oh and _by the way_, that pout will not work on me, missy." She shook her head. "I perfected the pout. The student cannot surpass the master."

Amelia's pout deepened as Lorelai went back to work, and, for a blissful thirty seconds, Amelia stood still. However, at the sound of the front door opening, she began to bounce in her place, excited at the prospect of visitors.

"Oww! Amelia, what did I just –"

"Hello?"

"RORY!"

With that, all semblance of order was forgotten as Amelia hoped off the chair and ran over to her half-sister, hugging her midsection tightly. Rory laughed as she wrapped her arms around Amelia and rocked her slightly. Rory then bent down to place a kiss on her cheek. "I _missed_ you!"

"I missed you, too!" replied Amelia, tightening her grip around Rory.

"Okay," Rory gasped, loosening the girl's grip on her, "I think you're rupturing some vital organs…"

Once Lorelai wandered into the living room, she and Rory locked eyes and, for a moment, they merely grinned at each other. Then, Lorelai wrapped her arms tightly around her older daughter. The women held onto each other for a minute, and, before pulling away, Lorelai planted a kiss on the top of Rory's head.

"Ugh, I've missed you, kid!"

"I've missed you, too, Mom."

Lorelai then wrapped an arm around Rory's shoulder, steering her into the kitchen. Amelia trailed behind them, squealing in delight as the excess material of her still unfinished dress trailed behind her.

"Coffee?" offered Lorelai.

"Do you even have to ask?"

"In the top cupboard."

Rory moved to get the coffee grinds. "You're making me, the guest, make the coffee?"

Lorelai snorted. "Please. If you can walk in without knocking then you can make the coffee."

"Good point."

"So, not that I'm not ecstatic to see you visiting here on a random Saturday without calling first, but I am curious as to _why_…"

"Well, I had a day off at the paper."

"And you thought, 'hey, I have no boyfriend or career to worry about, so I might as well drive all the way from Boston to Stars Hollow and check up on my clinically insane mother'?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Ha ha," she responded dryly.

"Actually, I came down for this beautiful little lady here." Amelia's face lit up at this comment. "It's not every day that my sister gets to go to her very first dance! Have I told you how beautiful you look?"

Amelia bit her lip, blushing. "Thank you," she replied shyly.

"You've really outdone yourself with that dress, Mom."

"Why thank you, Ms. Gilmore." Lorelai began to finger the fabric of her daughter's dress as she continued, "It just seemed to fit her. You know it's… so sparkly and full of life."

"I think it fits someone else in this room, too," Rory pointed out.

"You have to stop with all these compliments or we may force you to move back in here, full-time."

"I wish."

"Okay, Amelia –" Lorelai pointed to the chair –"climb on up and let's try this again." Amelia groaned. "Hey, if you don't want to go, I'm sure Daddy could find someone else to go with him… like me."

"But you're not his daughter!"

"You're right. Hmm… but _Rory_ is."

Amelia focused on Rory, horrified, as tears formed in her eyes.

"Mom!" admonished Rory, as Lorelai chuckled. She turned toward Amelia. "I'm not going instead of you."

"Promise?"

"I _swear_."

"Jeez, sometimes I forget how literal little kids are," she muttered to Rory. Then, Lorelai lifted Amelia up and kissed her cheek. "I was just kidding, baby. Your father wouldn't take anyone to that dance but you."

She sniffed, still looking unconvinced. "But he didn't want to go before."

"Oh no, honey, he did!"

"But Taylor…"

"Don't listen to Taylor," she warned. "He was just trying to trick you. Your father loves you and he loves Rory, too, but _you_ asked him to that dance and he said yes, which means you are officially his date. He won't back out on you."

"Do you _swear_?"

"Cross my heart. I've been on a lot of dates with your dad and he hasn't once stood me up."

Amelia nodded, wiping at her moist eyes. "Do you think he'll like my bows?" she asked quietly, wiggling her right foot out in front of her.

"No, I think he'll _love_ your bows," Lorelai promised.

Amelia grinned at Lorelai and hugged her tightly, before pulling away to admire her shoes more. Only then did Lorelai let out a sigh and muttered, "Dodged that bullet," before beginning to hem the skirt again.

"It's a wonder I'm not in need of more serious psychiatric help because of you."

Lorelai threw a piece of balled-up fabric at Rory's head, and then began to work again. "Oww," she muttered, pricking herself yet again.

* * *

Five Barbie band-aids and three cups of coffee later, Lorelai and Rory lay sprawled out on the couch watching the news. They were sharing a bowl of popcorn that was strategically placed between the two of them on the couch. When they first started eating, Lorelai had been careful to avoid dropping popcorn on the floor. She knew how much Luke hated it. However, at this point, the two of them were too distracted to notice. 

"You know," Rory pointed out, "nothing ever seems to happen on the local news."

"Connecticut just isn't that interesting," Lorelai agreed. "You'll find better places to report on." Rory merely shrugged in response. "No, seriously, Rory –" Lorelai sat up and met her daughter's eyes – "You'll do great things, I know it. Just wait - you'll see very soon."

Rory smiled at her mother and hugged her tightly. "I really do miss you."

"Good, you should. After all, it's the way I've programmed you."

"I'm glad you have Luke and Amelia though. Keeps me from worrying as much."

"You shouldn't worry about me."

She smiled slightly. "I know I shouldn't, but I do anyway."

"Thanks, hun." Lorelai paused, looking down at the almost-empty bowl of popcorn thoughtfully. "Hey, Rory?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you, um, upset about this?"

"About… what?"

"Luke, Amelia - dance?"

Rory gave her mother a puzzled look. "Why would I bet upset about that?"

Lorelai shrugged, frowning. "I dunno… I –" She sighed. "Never mind."

"Mom, what –?"

However, before Rory could question her mother further, the door opened and Luke's heavy footsteps echoed through the room. Amelia, clad now in an old tee shirt of her father's, immediately ran out of her room. She slid across the hardwood floor until she met her father at the door and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Daddy!"

"Whoa," said Luke, catching his balance, "Hey there, Amelia." He kissed the top of her head before steering her into the living room. "You would think this kid hadn't just see me two hours ago at the diner." She smiled at Lorelai and kissed her on the lips. Hey there. Oh, Rory!" he said, startled. "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you, too, Luke," replied Rory with a grin, before leaning forward to give Luke a hug. "I wanted to see you two off on your dance!"

"Oh, well, uh, thanks, Rory. I'm sure it means a lot… to Amelia."

"Yeah," Rory replied quietly.

Lorelai's gaze shifted from Rory, to Luke, and back to Rory again. She suddenly felt even guiltier for flaunting this father-daughter dance in front of Rory. After all, Rory had never really experienced all of that with her own father. Lorelai worried that she was overemphasizing the aspects of Amelia's life that she hadn't been able to give Rory – the father-daughter relationship being the prime example of this. However, before Lorelai could worry about it anymore, she felt Amelia climb onto her lap. Lorelai raised her eyebrows at her, amused.

"He's still going with me, right?" she whispered into Lorelai's ear.

Lorelai looked up at Luke, who was shifting impatiently in his spot. "Can we just get this over with?" he grumbled.

"He wouldn't miss it for the world," Lorelai replied confidently.

_TBC..._


	3. Primping

**Father-Daughter Dance**  
_Primping_

**A/N: **_Wow, I was actually able to turn this one out sooner than I planned. Yeah, this chapter is kind of cheesy, so I hope you're not lactose intolerant. Thank you for the great feedback so far!_

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An hour later, Rory and Lorelai stood in Amelia's bedroom, getting her ready for the dance. Amelia was wearing her dress, but had a towel draped around her front for protection as Lorelai applied some blush to her cheeks. When she finished, Rory ran a brush through Amelia's thick curls. Amelia whimpered.

"She's almost finished, babe, hang in there. Now is as good a time as any to learn that beauty hurts."

"It'll be worth it." Rory then placed a blue headband into Amelia's hair and announced, "Done! Well, what do you think?"

"Oh, she's so beautiful," Lorelai sighed, squeezing Amelia's hand lightly. She then smoothed her hands down the sides of the flowing gown, feeling the coarse glitter beneath her fingertips as she straightened out the wrinkles. "Okay, I'm gonna go check up on Luke, be right back."

"We'll be waiting," promised Rory.

Lorelai walked out of the room, but turned around just in time to see Rory brush a strand of hair out of Amelia's eye, and then direct the young girl's attention toward the mirror. It made her heart swell to see that her two daughters connecting. Although she wished she could stand there and watch them forever, she knew she had to find Luke, so she tore her gaze from the scene and headed up the stairs. Not surprisingly, she found Luke still in his flannel, squatting in front of their closet as he attempted to fix a broken hinge. She walked up behind him, hands on her hips; he hadn't her noticed her presence yet.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

Luke jumped, startled, and ended up falling backward. Lorelai's admonishment immediately faded into amusement as she let out a wail of laughter at the sight of Luke's body, sprawled across the bedroom floor. He got to his feet and glared at her. "What was that for?"

"I couldn't resist," she replied with a smirk.

"Uh-huh."

"So…" she began casually, "you're not dressed."

"I'm not?" He looked down at himself. "Huh."

"Very funny," she deadpanned, slapping him on the shoulder. "You're not gonna disappoint your daughter, are you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I am. I can't wait to break a five-year-old's heart."

"Okay, then, what are you waiting for?"

"The last possible moment."

"Come on! The faster you put on the tux, the faster this whole thing ends." He snorted. "Okay, maybe it doesn't work that way, but the faster you put on that tux, the faster I stop talking!"

"Appealing…"

"Luke!"

"All right, all right," he grumbled.

She kissed him sweetly on the lips. "Thank you."

"You better make this up to me."

"Oh, you can count on that."

Luke grabbed the rented tuxedo that was hanging on the back of the door and began to take it out of its plastic cover. Lorelai sat down on their bed, studying him carefully. After a moment, he looked up, his frustration with her obvious. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied hastily.

Luke raised his eyebrows, but didn't press the issue. Instead, he undressed to his boxers and undershirt and pulled the slacks on over his legs and buttoned them. She was still staring at him. "Lorelai…" he prompted.

"Nothing."

He met her eyes, challenging her. "Bull."

She sighed and looked down at her hands as they rested on her lap. "I, well… this whole situation, it's making me think about, well, Rory."

"Rory?"

"Yeah, I mean… she never had this experience –" she pointed to him – "she never had a father to do this kind of stuff with her. I mean, she had a father, but, well, he didn't… do this kind of stuff. Well, once, he went to that Debutante Ball with her, but she was already like, seventeen, at that point. Not the same thing."

"Rory's a grown-up now."

"I know," Lorelai replied with a sigh. "It's just, well, what if she regrets it?"

"Not going to a fruity, Taylor-infested dance?"

"No. Just… not having the opportunity to do so, if the occasion arose."

"This is really bothering you?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I feel guilty."

"You gave her all you could and so much more, Lorelai. She's on her way to doing great things. She's happy, Lorelai…"

"I know."

"…And it's because of you."

"I wouldn't say that."

"I would." Luke walked over to her and took her right hand in his, squeezing it gently, reassuringly. "And she would, too."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks, Luke."

"No problem."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he began to button up his shirt; she was staring at him again. He sighed inwardly. Lorelai was definitely still feeling guilty.

* * *

At a quarter to eight, Rory entered the living room and stood in front of Luke, who had been dosing lightly on the couch. 

"Okay," she announced, startling Luke awake, "your date is ready!"

"Finally," he mumbled, standing up.

"You ready for this?"

"I think so," he replied with an eye roll.

"OKAY GUYS," called Rory, "HE'S READY!"

"HANG ON," Lorelai yelled back, "WE'RE STILL PRIMPING!"

"Primping? She's five, what the hell does she need to primp for?"

"SHE'S STILL A LADY!" Lorelai replied.

"YEAH!" Agreed Amelia.

Luke and Rory exchanged amused looks.

After another minute, Lorelai came out of the bedroom, grinning broadly at Luke. "She's beautiful."

"I'm sure she is."

"Okay… are you ready to be blown away, Luke?"

He sighed heavily. "I've got my survival equipment in my back pocket."

"Dirty!" delighted Lorelai.

"Jeez."

"OKAY, AMELIA, COME ON OUT!"

A moment later, Amelia trotted down the small hallway, her slight heels clinking against the floor as she approached. Lorelai beamed at her daughter before turning toward Luke. His features immediately softened as he caught a glimpse of his daughter. In fact, Lorelai noted with satisfaction, he seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"How did I get a daughter this beautiful?" he asked no one in particular. Amelia smiled demurely in return as she approached her father. He hugged her tightly as she began, once again, to bounce.

"It comes from my side of the genes," Lorelai informed him.

As Amelia pulled away, he looked at her, puzzled. He then turned toward Lorelai, hands on his hips. "Is she wearing make-up?"

"Oh, pictures!" Lorelai enthused, ignoring Luke's question. She grabbed her camera that had originally been sitting on the coffee table. "Lots of pictures!"

"Lorelai!"

"Don't worry about it. Pictures, pictures, pictures!" she squealed. Amelia soon joined in the chanting. Lorelai grinned hugely at this, wrapping her arm around her daughter's small shoulders.

Luke groaned. "Fine, but remember, I draw the line at one roll of film." Lorelai pouted. "Hang on one second…" He turned toward Amelia. "I have something for you."

Puzzled, the three girls watched as Luke slipped into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. When he came back, he was holding a clear plastic container. He bent down in front of Amelia and opened the container, revealing a corsage of daisies, tied together by a light blue ribbon.

"They don't really match," he apologized, "but I know you love daisies and, well, I didn't know what your dress looked like, but I thought these were… nice and, you know -"

Amelia cut her father off as she jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Daddy."

Lorelai could hardly speak as she, yet again, watched two people she loved unconditionally, bound. She bit her lip and took the corsage out of its container with a trembling hand before pinning it to her daughter's dress. "Perfect," she whispered.

Lorelai locked eyes with Luke for a moment, silently thanking him for being so thoughtful. However, he broke away from the contact as Amelia tugged on Luke's hand, practically dragging him out the door. "It's almost time! We don't want to be late!"

"WAIT! PICTURES!"

"Oh no," Luke said sardonically, "looks like we're out of time."

"Fine, no pictures." She turned toward Rory, smirking, and muttered, "I paid Kirk twenty bucks to take pictures of them at the dance anyway."

"You're evil," she replied, just as quietly.

"Daddy, come on!"

He chuckled at his daughter's eagerness and told her, "Why don't you go out to the car, okay? I'll be right there." After Amelia left, Luke turned toward Lorelai. "You should probably help her… don't want her ripping that dress you worked so hard on."

"Yeah… right…" Lorelai gave Luke a suspicious glance, but didn't pursue his attempt at chasing her out of the room.

Once it was just Luke and Rory, the pair studied each other uncomfortably for a few moments. Finally, Luke cleared his throat and Rory met his eyes curiously.

"So, uh, Rory, I was hoping… uh," he sighed, "jeez, this is a weird thing to ask, so if you don't want to, you don't have to…"

"Don't want to… what?"

"Dance," he replied simply.

"Huh?"

"I thought that, you know, even though you're probably too old to go to this silly thing – hell, I know I am – you might still might want a dance. You know… father and daughter. But not if you don't want to!" he added hastily, blushing profusely.

Luke watched anxiously as Rory's puzzled look faded, replaced by a touched smile. "Wow, you're really scoring big points at this dad game today."

"Is that a yes?"

"Of course, Luke."

Luke grinned and turned on the stereo, before opening his arms to her. Rory returned his smile and, taking his lead, joined him as the first cords of _Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?_ filled the room. She wrapped her arms around his neck and chucked. "You planned this, didn't you?"

"Well… I, uh…"

"Thanks, Luke."

"No. Thank _you_, Rory."

"For what?"

"For letting me into your life… for caring about me."

She chuckled. "I could say the same to you."

"I should've told you this stuff before. I mean, a long, long time ago. I wouldn't be here right now if you didn't want me to be, you know. Your mother would've never –"

"I know. I guess you're just lucky then."

"Yeah. I am lucky."

With that, they fell silent. Yet, as they danced – Luke, holding his twenty-six year old stepdaughter – he was overwhelmed by sudden memories of Rory; her face, young and trusting, flashed before his eyes. He thought of attending her caterpillar funeral, of baking her a birthday coffee cake, of moving her mattress into her college dorm. Now, she was living on her own in a completely different state; working at a newspaper and attending graduate school. When had she grown up?

"Luke," she whispered, breaking him from the memories.

"Hmm?"

"You need to go before Amelia gets jealous."

He chuckled as they parted. "Right."

"Thanks for the dance, Luke."

"Any time."

And they both knew that he truly meant it.

_TBC..._


	4. Dancing

**The Father-Daughter Dance**  
_ Dancing_

**A/N: **Well, here it is... the dance! (It's also the end, but let's not focus on that aspect, mmk?) Please forgive me if my descriptions of a father-daughter dance are off. My father never took me to one, but my uncle took my cousin to a bunch and sometimes she would brag about them to me. It was sad. Don't get me wrong, I love my father, but his idea of father-daughter bonding consists of stuffing envelopes to send to his clients. Yeah, I learned an important life lesson at an early age: don't trust your parents when they tell you something is fun, heh. Okay, now that I've told you far more than you want to know about my life, please read, review, and, above all else, enjoy!

* * *

Luke held Amelia's hand as they entered the Stars Hollow High School gymnasium. He took in the features of the bland room – the bleachers, the basketball hoops, the scuffmarks on the floor. Aside from the scattered balloons, streamers, and array of tables surrounding the section of the floor that would act as the 'dance floor', there was hardly any indication of a special event at all. _I'm glad I had to pay hundred bucks for this crap. Jeez._ He took a few deep breaths, trying to keep his frustration at bay as he studied the room further. He had always hated going back to his former high school as an adult. The place held very few good memories for him and, frankly, the bad ones overshadowed any good ones that he might have had, anyway. 

Yet, at his side, Amelia stared at the gymnasium in reverence as she clutched onto her father's hand. Luke gave her small hand a brief squeeze. He watched as her eyes roamed the perimeter of the room, her mouth opening slightly as she noticed the brightly colored balloons, wedged against the ceiling. Although he couldn't and, most likely, would _never_ understand how a child could be mesmerized by something as mediocre as a dance in a high school gymnasium, he knew that his daughter was truly looking forward to it. Therefore, he also knew that he had to at least make an effort to seem as if he was enjoying the dance. _For Amelia_, he reminded himself.

Luke was forced out of his musings when he heard a familiar voice call his name, and the instinctive aggravation that always accompanied Taylor's presence crept into his veins. His free hand clenched into a fist involuntary, and it took all of Luke's willpower not to punch Taylor in the nose right then and there. After all, this stupid dance was all Taylor's idea and, unless Lorelai had been pulling his leg (which, in most circumstances was likely, but doubtful in this particular situation), Taylor had been the one to warm Amelia up to the idea in the first place. After a moment, Luke unclenched his fist and, very slowly, turned to face the infuriating man.

"What do you want, Taylor?"

"What's with the attitude, young man? After all, your daughter seems to be absolutely _thrilled_ to be here." Taylor smirked at Luke and then muttered, "That must kill you."

"Did you have a particular reason for approaching me?"

"Of course." Taylor handed him a piece of paper. "I wanted to give you this."

"Ten percent off laundry detergent at _Doose's Market_ for all participating fathers and daughters at _Stars Hollow's First Annual Father-Daughter Dance_," he read. "Gee, thanks."

"It's about time the men started to buy common household essentials – such as laundry detergent – for their families. After all, it _is_ the twenty-first century."

"What the hell are you talking about? I've been buying Lorelai's laundry detergent since before we even started dating."

"That's not all you buy for her," Taylor stated knowingly.

"Jeez, Taylor! Are you keeping tabs on what I _buy_ now? I need to find a new grocery store," he mumbled.

"I need to know what kind of products consumers are buying! It's only proper business adequate to –"

"Okay, we're gonna go over there –" Luke pointed to the long table with the seating cards on it – "and, if you have any attachment to your ribcage, you are _not_ going to follow us."

"Fine." Taylor shook his head, as he indiscreetly scanned the room for his next victim. "You know, Luke, I don't understand you sometimes."

"Yeah, well, right back atcha. Come on, Amelia, let's go."

"Okay!" she enthused. "Bye Mr. Doose!"

"Goodbye, Amelia. Enjoy yourself!" He then shook his head as they began to walk away. "It's beyond me how a man like _Luke_ could have such a pleasant daughter."

Luke paused, glaring at Taylor, before thinking better of it and, instead, began to walk away faster.

* * *

Amelia and Luke were seated at table five, and, despite himself, Luke was relieved to find that he was sitting with Jackson. He found Jackson to be a little nutty sometimes, but, well, who in Stars Hollow wasn't? At least he could hold a semi-coherent conversation with Jackson without suffering life-damaging aftershocks. Amelia chatted animatedly with Jackson's daughter as Luke pushed the food back and forth on his plate with his fork. 

"This is the most disgusting chicken I've ever tasted."

"These vegetables are terrible," said Jackson, ignoring Luke. "You know, I didn't grow these. Taylor never buys from me."

"Well, Taylor's an idiot."

"Come to think of it, _you_ don't order your vegetables from me, either," Jackson accused, pointing a finger at Luke.

"Yeah, well, uh… I've had the same vegetable supplier for a while and he's old and I wouldn't want to let him go. It might kill him. But you, uh, you seem to be doing pretty well without my business." _Okay, maybe sitting with Jackson isn't that relieving, after all._

"Sure." Jackson rolled his eyes, but didn't pursue the topic further. Instead, he said, "This is great, don't you think? I mean, how often do we get to spend quality time, just us fathers and our daughters together?"

"Uh-huh, my thoughts exactly," he lied. "Where're Sookie and Davey tonight?"

"Oh, they're spending some quality time together. Plus, I think Sookie mentioned something about Lorelai coming over and the two of them talking about boys or something."

"Yeah? She didn't mention anything about that to me. They're probably plotting something."

"Probably," agreed Jackson with a chuckle.

They both ceased speaking, an uncomfortable silence forming between them as they considered this possibility. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time. Slowly, the other people at the table began to migrate toward the dance floor, including Jackson and his daughter, leaving Amelia and Luke behind. Luke glanced down at his food again and then squeezed his eyes shut, disgusted. When he opened them again a few moments later, he felt Amelia lean over and yank his sleeve. He groaned.

"May I help you?"

"Can we dance?"

He paused. "Not yet."

"Why not?"

"I'm not finished eating yet."

"Daddy! You haven't been eating!"

"How do you know?"

"I was watching you!" Her lower lip protruded slightly as she began to pout, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

"Ah, Jeez; not the pout. Your mother is unbelievable sometimes, did you know that?" He threw his napkin down on the table and pushed his chair back roughly, leaving more angry scuffmarks on the gym floor. "Let's go."

"YAY!"

As Luke and Amelia approached the dance floor, the slow song that had been playing before ended. In its place, a fast song began to play. Luke paused and, after a moment, Amelia did, too. She gazed up at her father curiously.

"How about next song?" he attempted.

"Daddy!"

"I'm not very good at dancing to fast songs."

"This isn't fast." He gave her an incredulous look. "Please? Mommy would do it!"

"Yes, but Mommy's crazy."

She pouted, trying a different tactic. "Please Daddy? Please, please, please? If you do this, I'll never ask you to do anything for me again!"

"Somehow, I doubt that," he replied gruffly. "If I say yes, will you stop whining?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, but we're only dancing to _one_ fast song."

"Two?"

"_One_," he repeated.

"Okay," she agreed grudgingly. "Come on, let's go; it's almost over!"

Luke allowed his daughter to grab his hand and lead him onto the dance floor. At first, he awkwardly swayed to the music as Amelia bounced up and down in tune to the music. He couldn't help but laugh when she began to shake her head roughly, her curls flying wildly around her. _Maybe this won't be so terrible, after all_, he realized. Suddenly, Luke could've sworn that, from the corner of his eye, he saw a flash go off. However, when he turned to look around the room, he saw no traces of a camera. Instead, he wrote it off as paranoia, and continued to dance.

* * *

Five fast songs later, Luke and Amelia were still dancing. As Amelia completed an awkward twirl, she sang along to the _Spice Girls_ song that was currently playing. Luke laughed inwardly at the thought of Lorelai and the horrified look that would surely grace her features once he let the fact that her daughter knew lyrics to _Spice Girls_ songs slip. Luke tightened his grip on Amelia, smirking into her hair. Finally, he had something to get back at Lorelai with for transferring her evil methods of persuasion to their daughter! He made a mental note to buy Amelia a _Spice Girls_ CD. 

When the song ended, a slow song finally started up. Luke looked around the room nervously at the other dancers. While he knew how to dance, he had certainly never done it with a child. What if he crushed her tiny toes? He glanced down at her and noticed the expectant look on her face. He sighed, and reluctantly said, "Hop on my feet."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but c'mon," he grudgingly informed her, "the longer you wait, the less time we have to dance."

Her small feet just barely covered the fronts of his shoes as she stepped up, beaming at her father. He reached his arms around her frame to steady her and, after a moment, she grabbed onto his waist and looked down at their feet. Luke's gaze followed hers, and he kissed the top of her head.

"Pretty shoes. I like the bows."

Her eyes widened and, after a moment, she looked up at Luke, her face radiating with happiness. "Thank you, Daddy."

He regarded her strangely. Why was she so happy? He hadn't said anything particularly amazing; just complimented her shoes. "You're welcome," he finally replied.

They danced in a comfortable, albeit unusual silence. At this point, Luke held his daughter tightly against his body, burying his nose in her hair. As they embraced, he felt a surge of emotion and he bit his lip to keep the tears at bay. It still shocked him sometimes, when he realized the full extent of his love toward his daughter, that he could feel so much toward one person. Kids had annoyed him in the past and, frankly, Amelia often frustrated him, too. Nonetheless, he couldn't imagine his life without her.

Growing up, his father had scarcely let Luke know the extent of his love. Although, looking back upon past father-son exchanges, Luke knew that, deep down, his father had felt the same paternal extinct that Luke was currently experiencing. Yet, as a child, he often wondered how his father felt about him – if his father would rather not have had the burden of raising him, especially after his mother died. Suddenly, Luke was gripped by panic. Did his daughter feel that way about him? Did she ever wonder whether Luke would rather she wasn't his daughter? Did she ever doubt the presence of his love? _No_, he assured himself, _she knows_. Sure, he reasoned, he didn't say the words as often as certain parents, but he had certainly said them before. And, more importantly, he'd _shown_ her that he loved her. After all, was he not standing in the middle of a smelly gym, eating terrible chicken and resisting the urge to undo the constricting bowtie and itchy collar of his tuxedo?

"Tell me a story," Amelia requested, breaking her father from his reverie.

"A story? Like what?"

"I don't know," she sighed against his stomach. "Something about dancing."

"I don't know much about dancing," he replied gruffly.

"Oh." She sounded slightly disappointed. He cringed.

"But, I _do_ dance. Sometimes."

"How did you learn?"

"Uh, well, actually, you know, my mom taught me."

"Grandma?" she asked, puzzled.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Not your mom's mom, _my_ mom. You've never met her before."

"Why not?"

Luke swallowed. Amelia knew about Luke's father passing away because she often asked about the _William's Hardware_ sign that hung proudly outside of his diner. But Amelia had never asked about Luke's mother and Luke, in turn, had never mentioned her. "Well, she uh… died, when I, uh, was younger." Amelia looked up at him sadly, biting her lip as she did so. _Damn it, I shouldn't have told her,_ he thought. _I've totally ruined the whole night for her!_

"So I can't see her?"

"No," Luke whispered. "But, you know, she would _love_ you, if she knew you."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. How could anyone not love you?"

She smiled slightly, but then quickly turned serious again, frowning up at her father, instead. "What was she like?"

Luke thought about this for a moment. There was so much he wanted to say, yet nothing seemed suitable enough to answer such an important question. Finally, he replied, "That's hard to say, exactly. She was a lot of things - beautiful, smart, talented, sweet... she loved me and your Aunt Liz with all of her heart. She was just… amazing."

"I wish I could see her," Amelia replied with a pout.

"Me, too," he whispered, before softly cradling the back of her head in his hands.

At some point during their talk, the music had changed. It was still a slow song, though, so they remained in the same position, although silence had overtaken them once again.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you dance with Mommy?"

"Yeah," he replied softly, "sometimes."

"Like in the picture?" she asked. He nodded, knowing that she was referring to Lorelai's favorite wedding picture – a candid that sat in a simple silver frame on her nightstand. "I like that picture," she admitted shyly.

"That makes two of us," he mumbled into her hair. "You know, the first time your mother and me danced was at your Aunt Liz and Uncle TJ's wedding."

Amelia grinned up at him, biting her lip as she did so. "Really?"

"Yup. Your mom was very surprised that I was such a good dancer." Amelia giggled at this. "We weren't even technically dating yet, actually," he mused aloud, as Amelia stared up at him. "I mean, I thought we were – I thought inviting your mom to the wedding was obviously a date, but she wasn't sure." He chuckled. "We had problems communicating in the beginning of our relationship." Amelia merely nodded, now slightly confused by the turn his story had taken. "I still remember how beautiful she looked that day..."

He trailed off, noticing how Amelia's eyes seemed to droop and her grip on him loosened slightly. He rubbed her back soothingly for a few moments, before bending over and lifting her off the ground. He held her in that familiar position against his chest, gripping the backs of her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his stomach and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied softly, brushing a kiss against her cheek. "Thank you for asking me to this dance."

"You're welcome," she replied with a sleepy smile.

Suddenly, Luke again noticed a flash coming from somewhere behind Amelia. He peaked over her head and spotted Kirk pointing a camera at them. Realizing that Luke had spotted him, Kirk quickly turned away, focusing on a different father-daughter couple, instead. Yet, after a few moments, the camera was back in their direction again, so Luke glared at Kirk. Kirk merely shrugged and yelled, "This one's for the front page of the _Stars Hollow Gazette_!" before snapping one last picture and dashing away.

"Jeez. This town is crazy," he muttered to Amelia. "Did you know that?"

"Mommy's crazy, too," she replied softly, remembering Luke's earlier words.

"Yeah…" he paused. "I guess, _sometimes_ crazy isn't so bad."

* * *

Numerous times throughout the night, Luke had tired to convince Amelia that it was time to go home, but she stubbornly refused, insisting instead to remain nestled in her father's arms as he swayed slightly to the music. Finally, at eleven, the DJ played the last song of the night, and the final set of dancers filed out of the gym. By the time the two of them returned home, Amelia was fast asleep in the backseat of Luke's truck. Groaning, Luke opened the door and lifted Amelia as her limbs flapped lifelessly at her sides. 

When he approached the door, Luke struggled to get the house key out of his pocket, and then struggled even more as he tried to unlock the door. Just as he finally successfully fit the key into the lock, he felt the doorknob turn. A smiling Lorelai greeted him, and, although she stepped aside to let him in, her grin continued to grow.

"Aww, Luke, you wore her out," she whispered. "You're such a party animal!"

"It's three hours past her bedtime," he pointed out, "of course she's tired."

"Uh-huh, sure, that's what they all say."

"So you walk around accusing people of being party animals on a normal basis?"

She paused. "Yes."

"Uh-huh. Can I put our daughter down? She might be small, but I've been carrying her for three quarters of the night and my back is killing me."

"Oh, poor thing," she cooed. "Hand her over, I'll put her to bed. Why don't you grab a cup of tea or something?"

He nodded gratefully and passed Amelia to Lorelai. After a few awkward shuffles, Lorelai found a comfortable position and began to walk toward Amelia's bedroom, as Luke put on a pot of tea. When Lorelai entered the bedroom, she pulled back the pink floral comforter and sheets. Then, she carefully placed Amelia on the bed and lifted her slightly to unzip her gown. After undressing Amelia and then re-dressing her in one of Luke's old tee shirts that Amelia had claimed as her own, Lorelai pulled up the blankets and tucked her daughter in. Amelia sighed and turned onto her side, burying her cheek in the softness of the pillow. Lorelai watched her slumbering daughter for a moment, a small smile present on her lips. Then, she placed a kiss on Amelia's temple and, after making sure that the comforter covered her body completely, turned to leave. However, she paused when she heard Amelia mumble her name.

"I'm right here. What is it, Babe?"

"Did you know Daddy's mommy taught him to dance?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I think he might've mentioned that to me before, yeah." She smiled. "He's a very good dancer, isn't he?"

"Uh-huh," she agreed groggily. "Mommy?"

"Yes, Amelia?"

"Will you teach me to dance?"

Lorelai smiled, but replied, "We'll see. It's late; go to sleep. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Lorelai was still smiling when she entered the kitchen and plopped down on a chair beside Luke, sans coat, bowtie, and cummerbund. He looked over his mug and raised his eyebrows at her, before taking an appreciative gulp of the warm liquid. Lorelai lifted the _Hello Kitty_ mug that Luke had poured for her and took a sip of tea. Although it sure as hell wasn't as good as coffee, she had gained a tolerance toward the more fruity-tasting varieties, and would sometimes drink with him (mostly to make him feel better about her arguably unhealthy caffeine intake).

"So… you made it through; you've lived to tell the tale. How do you feel?"

"Tired," he groaned. "My whole body aches."

"Poor baby." She placed her tea down on the kitchen table before walking up behind him and beginning to massage his tense muscles. "How does that feel?"

"Really good," he mumbled. "I'm too old to be doing this sort of thing."

"No you're not," she replied, kissing the back of his neck as she continued to knead his flesh. "You're the sweetest man in the entire world." He merely grumbled unintelligibly in response. "No, really. I mean, you do this for our daughter – you completely make her day, even though you didn't really want to –"

"It wasn't too bad," Luke admitted.

Lorelai grinned at his admission. "Why, Luke Danes, who would've thought? Mr. Gruff enjoying a girly dance? Wow, the world in which I've based all my beliefs has suddenly been disrupted…"

"Lorelai…"

"No, really, is the Earth still revolving around the sun?"

"Lorelai," he warned again.

"Fine, fine. You know why else you're sweetest man alive? You didn't just dance with Amelia, but you danced with _Rory_, too."

"Oh God." He covered his face with his hands. "She told you about that?"

"Of course! How could she not? You totally made her day, too. And mine, come to think of it. I was really worried about Rory, and you knew that and you gave me a reason not to worry anymore."

"Well," he mumbled, "it killed me to think that Rory never had that."

"You're really something else, Mr. Danes, you know that?"

He blushed. "Thanks."

"So, you had fun."

"Yes, but don't spread it around, okay?"

She smirked. "That depends."

"Depends on what?"

She leaned forward, leaning against the back of his chair as she whispered, "On _tonight_," in his ear.

He shivered involuntarily at the feel of her warm breath against his skin. "Oh yeah? What happened to your 'no previews' rule?"

"It flew out the window once I saw you in that tux. You should wear tuxedos more often. The James Bond look really works for you."

"Keep talking like that and you'll have no one to give your preview _to_."

"Oh, you're being demanding tonight. I like that."

"Stop."

"Stop what?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Stop mocking."

"Mocking? Whatever do you mean?"

Luke groaned and pushed his chair back slightly to stand up. He collected both of their mugs and rinsed them out, before placing them on the counter to dry, and then walked out of the kitchen. "I'm going upstairs to our bedroom…"

"Someone's eager!"

"…I'll be there, if you decide to behave."

"But you like me bad," she whispered seductively, following him up the stairs and cupping his bottom. "Come to think of it, I like you bad, too."

"Ah, jeez."

Luke smothered a smile, in order to keep up his admonishing pretence. Yet, despite his earlier anxieties, he was incredibly happy. It had turned out to be a _great_ night, after all.

_Fin_

**A/N:** Yep, that's it, my friends! Thanks for the wonderful feedback on this series; honestly, it was overwhelming! I have to admit, I've never had this much fun writing a fanfic before (and I _really_ enjoy writing fics, in general). Perhaps, one day, I'll dust this scenario off and write another Luke/Amelia/Lorelai piece. Perhaps… we'll see.


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